Apple's steps for one-click background removal in Preview, which converts the image to PNG, and for tracing part of an image to extract it.
Remove a background or extract an image in Preview on Mac
Apple Support Nov 2026
Open support.apple.com →Your computer or phone already does it, free and on the device. On a Mac, open the image in Preview and click Remove Background; Preview converts the file to PNG, which keeps the transparency. On an iPhone, touch and hold the subject in Photos, then tap Copy Subject or Add Sticker to lift it off its background. On Windows, the Photos app's Background panel selects the background for you and removes it, or replaces it with a plain colour. Online, Adobe's free background remover in Firefly and Canva's background remover give a clean cutout you can drop onto a new backdrop and download as a transparent PNG. To make a logo transparent, remove the white background and save as PNG, because a JPG cannot hold transparency. Hair, fur and glass are where tools differ, so zoom in before you use the result. Rule: the built-in tool first, Canva or Adobe if the cutout is going into a design anyway.
5 resources.
Apple's steps for one-click background removal in Preview, which converts the image to PNG, and for tracing part of an image to extract it.
Apple Support Nov 2026
Open support.apple.com →Touch and hold a subject in Photos, Safari or Quick Look to copy it, share it or make it a sticker, with the background left behind.
Apple Support Nov 2026
Open support.apple.com →Microsoft's guide to the Photos app: Generative Erase (processed on the device, so the photo never leaves it), the Background panel to blur, remove or replace a background, and trimming video.
Microsoft Support Nov 2026
Open support.microsoft.com →Adobe's free browser tool that isolates the subject and gives a transparent cutout to place on a new background.
Adobe Firefly Nov 2026
Adobe Express on eChai Explore
Open adobe.com →Canva's remover, on web, desktop and mobile: download the cutout as a transparent PNG or keep editing it into a design.
Canva Nov 2026
Open canva.com →